MOH gives greenlight for Buprenorphine-Naloxone as heroine addict treatment

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has acknowledged the use of Buprenorphine-Naloxone as an opiate substitute therapy alternative to methadone among heroine drug users.
Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) executive director Dr. Ilias Adam Yee said this is a step forward as it affects people living with HIV too.
He said this would give them a choice once they have been diagnosed as HIV positive.
He was speaking to the press today after a two-hour meeting here with the ministry's representatives.
Present also was MAC's Global Fund Management Project Unit Director Joselyn Pang.
Echoing Dr. Ilias's sentiment, she said the drug provides an alternative for a person who is using anti-retroviral drugs too.
Currently, Buprenorphine-Naloxone is not listed on the ministry's drug formulary - a list that contains list of medications made available in the government hospitals nationwide.